Common guitarfish

Common guitarfish
Scientific classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Chondrichthyes
Subclass: Elasmobranchii
Order: Rhinopristiformes
Family: Rhinobatidae
Genus: Rhinobatos
Species:
R. rhinobatos
Binomial name
Rhinobatos rhinobatos
Synonyms
  • Leiobatus panduratus Rafinesque, 1810
  • Raia columnae Blainville, 1816
  • Raja rhinobatos Linnaeus, 1758
  • Rhinobatus columnae Bonaparte, 1836
  • Rhinobatus duhameli Blainville, 1825
  • Rhinobatus rhinobatus (Linnaeus, 1758)
  • Squatinoraja colonna Nardo, 1824

The common guitarfish (Rhinobatos rhinobatos) is a species of cartilaginous fish in the family Rhinobatidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a bottom-dwelling fish feeding on crustaceans, other invertebrates and fish. The females give birth to live young. Its lifestyle makes it vulnerable to trawling and other fishing methods, populations seem to be declining, and it has disappeared from parts of its range.